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Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy allegedly took a woman's phone away because he did not want Pep Guardiola to see him out late with girls, a court has heard.
According to The Star, the Frenchman denies raping and sexually assaulting seven women on five different occasions at his secluded Cheshire mansion.
Mendy is on trial with his friend and 'fixer' Louis Saha Matturie, who allegedly helped the defender to find young women, who have claimed they were raped.
Prosecutor Timothy Cray QC told jurors on Monday (August 15), that the alleged victims were asked to hand over their mobile phones. However, one woman managed to sneak in her phone and was caught using it to message her friend.
Mr. Cray told the court:
“Part of this we will accept is to protect Mendy and others from unwanted social media intrusion. Mendy did not want Pep Guardiola to see him on Instagram out late at night with a load of girls. It also undoubtedly had the effect of making the girls themselves feeling that bit more cut off."
“She hid her mobile telephone and when she was in the pool area she was messaging a friend. On seeing this, Mendy took the phone from her and said he was going to check it.”
Prosecution reveals grim details during trial of Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy
Following his arrest in August of 2021, Manchester City suspended the full-back pending the result of a trial. He had previously played 75 times for the club and earned 10 senior France caps.
During day one of the trial, jurors saw footage from Mendy's house showing the locks, which can only be unlocked from the inside. Mr. Cray claimed:
“On the master bedroom and office, there are special locks, the legitimate purpose of these locks is that if you are likely to be a target for burglars, they create a panic room.
“You can’t get in from the outside but you can open them from the inside if you know what to do. The witnesses get the impression, when taken there by Mendy, they are locked in.”
